configs/pic32mx README
=====================
This README file discusses the port of NuttX to the PIC32MX board from
PCB Logic Design Co. This board features the MicroChip PIC32MX460F512L.
The board is a very simple -- little more than a carrier for the PIC32
MCU plus voltage regulation, debug interface, and an OTG connector.
Contents
========
PIC32MX460F512L Pin Out
MAX3232 Connection
Toolchains
Loading NuttX with PICkit2
LCD1602
PIC32MX Configuration Options
Configurations
PIC32MX460F512L Pin Out
=======================
PIC32MX460F512L 100-Pin TQFP (USB) Pin Out. The mapping to the pins on
the PCL Logic board are very simple, each pin is brought out to a connector
label with the PIC32MX460F512L pin number.
On board logic only manages power, crystal, and USB signals.
LEFT SIDE, TOP-TO-BOTTOM (if pin 1 is in upper left)
PIN NAME
---- ----------------------------
1 RG15
2 Vdd
3 PMD5/RE5
4 PMD6/RE6
5 PMD7/RE7
6 T2CK/RC1
7 T3CK/RC2
8 T4CK/RC3
9 T5CK/SDI1/RC4
10 SCK2/PMA5/CN8/RG6
11 SDI2/PMA4/CN9/RG7
12 SDO2/PMA3/CN10/RG8
13 MCLR
14 SS2/PMA2/CN11/RG9
15 Vss
16 Vdd
17 TMS/RA0
18 INT1/RE8
19 INT2/RE9
20 AN5/C1IN+/VBUSON/CN7/RB5
21 AN4/C1IN-/CN6/RB4
22 AN3/C2IN+/CN5/RB3
23 AN2/C2IN-/CN4/RB2
24 PGEC1/AN1/CN3/RB1
25 PGED1/AN0/CN2/RB0
BOTTOM SIDE, LEFT-TO-RIGHT (if pin 1 is in upper left)
PIN NAME
---- ----------------------------
26 PGEC2/AN6/OCFA/RB6
27 PGED2/AN7/RB7
28 VREF-/CVREF-/PMA7/RA9
29 VREF+/CVREF+/PMA6/RA10
30 AVdd
31 AVss
32 AN8/C1OUT/RB8
33 AN9/C2OUT/RB9
34 AN10/CVREFOUT/PMA13/RB10
35 AN11/PMA12/RB11
36 Vss
37 Vdd
38 TCK/RA1
39 U2RTS/RF13
40 U2CTS/RF12
41 AN12/PMA11/RB12
42 AN13/PMA10/RB13
43 AN14/PMALH/PMA1/RB14
44 AN15/OCFB/PMALL/PMA0/CN12/RB15
45 Vss
46 Vdd
47 U1CTS/CN20/RD14
48 U1RTS/CN21/RD15
49 U2RX/PMA9/CN17/RF4
50 U2TX/PMA8/CN18/RF5
RIGHT SIDE, TOP-TO-BOTTOM (if pin 1 is in upper left)
PIN NAME
---- ----------------------------
75 Vss
74 SOSCO/T1CK/CN0/RC14
73 SOSCI/CN1/RC13
72 SDO1/OC1/INT0/RD0
71 IC4/PMCS1/PMA14/RD11
70 SCK1/IC3/PMCS2/PMA15/RD10
69 SS1/IC2/RD9
68 RTCC/IC1/RD8
67 SDA1/INT4/RA15
66 SCL1/INT3/RA14
65 Vss
64 OSC2/CLKO/RC15
63 OSC1/CLKI/RC12
62 Vdd
61 TDO/RA5
60 TDI/RA4
59 SDA2/RA3
58 SCL2/RA2
57 D+/RG2
56 D-/RG3
55 VUSB
54 VBUS
53 U1TX/RF8
52 U1RX/RF2
51 USBID/RF3
TOP SIDE, LEFT-TO-RIGHT (if pin 1 is in upper left)
PIN NAME
---- ----------------------------
100 PMD4/RE4
99 PMD3/RE3
98 PMD2/RE2
97 TRD0/RG13
96 TRD1/RG12
95 TRD2/RG14
94 PMD1/RE1
93 PMD0/RE0
92 TRD3/RA7
91 TRCLK/RA6
90 PMD8/RG0
89 PMD9/RG1
88 PMD10/RF1
87 PMD11/RF0
86 ENVREG
85 Vcap/Vddcore
84 PMD15/CN16/RD7
83 PMD14/CN15/RD6
82 PMRD/CN14/RD5
81 OC5/PMWR/CN13/RD4
80 PMD13/CN19/RD13
79 IC5/PMD12/RD12
78 OC4/RD3
77 OC3/RD2
76 OC2/RD1
Additional Signals available from the board:
PROGRAM CONNECTOR: Vpp Vdd GND PGED1 PGEC1 NC PGED2 PGEC2
POWER POINTS: +5Vin +3.3V AVdd AGND Vdd GND USB+5V
MAX3232 Connection
==================
I use a tiny, MAX3232 board that I got from the eBay made by NKC
Electronics (http://www.nkcelectronics.com/). As of this writing, it
is also available here: http://www.nkcelectronics.com/rs232-to-ttl-3v--55v-convert232356.html
CTS -- Not connected
RTS -- Not connected
TX -- Pin 53: U1TX/RF8
RX -- Pin 52: U1RX/RF2
GND -- POWER POINT: GND
Vcc -- POWER POINT: Vdd (3.3V) -- Or P32_VBUS (+5V)
Or +5V from a USB PC port.
Toolchains
==========
MPLAB/C32
---------
I am using the free, "Lite" version of the PIC32MX toolchain available
for download from the microchip.com web site. I am using the Windows
version. The MicroChip toolchain is the only toolchain currently
supported in these configurations, but it should be a simple matter to
adapt to other toolchains by modifying the Make.defs file include in
each configuration.
C32 Toolchain Options:
CONFIG_PIC32MX_MICROCHIPW - MicroChip full toolchain for Windows
CONFIG_PIC32MX_MICROCHIPL - MicroChip full toolchain for Linux
CONFIG_PIC32MX_MICROCHIPW_LITE - MicroChip "Lite" toolchain for Windows
CONFIG_PIC32MX_MICROCHIPL_LITE - MicroChip "Lite" toolchain for Linux
NOTE: The "Lite" versions of the toolchain does not support C++. Also
certain optimization levels are not supported by the "Lite" toolchain.
MicrochipOpen
-------------
An alternative, build-it-yourself toolchain is available here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/microchipopen/ . These tools were
last updated circa 2010. NOTE: C++ support still not available
in this toolchain.
Building MicrochipOpen (on Linux)
1) Get the build script from this location:
http://microchipopen.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/microchipopen/ccompiler4pic32/buildscripts/trunk/
2) Build the code using the build script, for example:
./build.sh -b v105_freeze
This will check out the selected branch and build the tools.
3) Binaries will then be available in a subdirectory with a name something like
pic32-v105-freeze-20120622/install-image/bin (depending on the current data
and the branch that you selected.
Note that the tools will have the prefix, mypic32- so, for example, the
compiler will be called mypic32-gcc.
Pinguino mips-elf Toolchain
---------------------------
Another option is the mips-elf toolchain used with the Pinguino project. This
is a relatively current mips-elf GCC and should provide free C++ support as
well. This toolchain can be downloded from the Pinguino website:
http://wiki.pinguino.cc/index.php/Main_Page#Download . There is some general
information about using the Pinguino mips-elf toolchain in this thread:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/nuttx/conversations/messages/1821
See also configs/mirtoo/README.txt. There is an experimental (untested)
configuration for the Mirtoo platform in that directory.
MPLAB/C32 vs MPLABX/X32
-----------------------
It appears that Microchip is phasing out the MPLAB/C32 toolchain and replacing
it with MPLABX and XC32. At present, the XC32 toolchain is *not* compatible
with the NuttX build scripts. Here are some of the issues that I see when trying
to build with XC32:
1) Make.def changes: You have to change the tool prefix:
CROSSDEV=xc32-
2) debug.ld/release.ld: The like expect some things that are not present in
the current linker scripts (or are expected with different names). Here
are some partial fixes:
Rename: kseg0_progmem to kseg0_program_mem
Rename: kseg1_datamem to kseg1_data_mem
Even then, there are more warnings from the linker and some undefined symbols
for non-NuttX code that resides in the unused Microchip libraries. See this
email thread at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/nuttx/conversations/messages/1458 for more
information. You will have to solve at least this undefined symbol problem if
you want to used the XC32 toolchain.
Windows Native Toolchains
-------------------------
NOTE: There are several limitations to using a Windows based toolchain in a
Cygwin environment. The three biggest are:
1. The Windows toolchain cannot follow Cygwin paths. Path conversions are
performed automatically in the Cygwin makefiles using the 'cygpath' utility
but you might easily find some new path problems. If so, check out 'cygpath -w'
2. Windows toolchains cannot follow Cygwin symbolic links. Many symbolic links
are used in Nuttx (e.g., include/arch). The make system works around these
problems for the Windows tools by copying directories instead of linking them.
But this can also cause some confusion for you: For example, you may edit
a file in a "linked" directory and find that your changes had no effect.
That is because you are building the copy of the file in the "fake" symbolic
directory. If you use a Windows toolchain, you should get in the habit of
making like this:
make clean_context all
An alias in your .bashrc file might make that less painful.
3. Dependencies are not made when using Windows versions of the GCC. This is
because the dependencies are generated using Windows pathes which do not
work with the Cygwin make.
MKDEP = $(TOPDIR)/tools/mknulldeps.sh
Loading NuttX with PICkit2
==========================
NOTE: You need a PICKit3 if you plan to use the MPLAB debugger! The PICKit2
can, however, still be used to load programs. Instructions for the PICKit3
are similar.
Intel Hex Forma Files:
----------------------
When NuttX is built it will produce two files in the top-level NuttX
directory:
1) nuttx - This is an ELF file, and
2) nuttx.hex - This is an Intel Hex format file. This is controlled by
the setting CONFIG_INTELHEX_BINARY in the .config file.
The PICkit tool wants an Intel Hex format file to burn into FLASH. However,
there is a problem with the generated nutt.hex: The tool expects the nuttx.hex
file to contain physical addresses. But the nuttx.hex file generated from the
top-level make will have address in the KSEG0 and KSEG1 regions.
tools/pic32mx/mkpichex:
----------------------
There is a simple tool in the NuttX tools/pic32mx directory that can be
used to solve both issues with the nuttx.hex file. But, first, you must
build the tool:
cd tools/pic32mx
make
Now you will have an excecutable file call mkpichex (or mkpichex.exe on
Cygwin). This program will take the nutt.hex file as an input, it will
convert all of the KSEG0 and KSEG1 addresses to physical address, and
it will write the modified file, replacing the original nuttx.hex.
To use this file, you need to do the following things:
. ./setenv.sh # Source setenv.sh. Among other this, this script
# will add the NuttX tools/pic32mx directory to your
# PATH variable
make # Build nuttx and nuttx.hex
mkpichex $PWD # Convert addresses in nuttx.hex. $PWD is the path
# to the top-level build directory. It is the only
# required input to mkpichex.
LCD1602
=======
The LCD1602 is an HD4478OU-based LCD from Wave share. The function
up_lcd1602_initialize() initializes the LCD1602 hardware and registers the
SLCD character driver as /dev/lcd1602. See include/nuttx/lcd/hd4478ou.h
LCD pin mapping:
----------------------------------- ---------- ----------------------------------
PIC32 LCD1602 PCBLogic PIN
PIN SIGNAL NAME PIN NAME(s)
----------------------------------- ---------- ----------------------------------
1. Vss --> Powerpoint GND
2. Vdd --> Powerpoint USB+5V
3. Vee N/C To ground via 10K potentiometer
44 AN15/OCFB/PMALL/PMA0/CN12/RB15 4. RS 4 PMA0, Selects registers
82 PMRD/CN14/RD5 5. RW 82 PMRD/PMWR, Selects read or write
81 OC5/PMWR/CN13/RD4 6. E 81 PMENB, Starts data read/write
93 PMD0/RE0 7. D0 93 PMD0
94 PMD1/RE1 8. D1 94 PMD1
98 PMD2/RE2 9. D2 98 PMD2
99 PMD3/RE3 10. D3 99 PMD3
100 PMD4/RE4 11. D4 100 PMD4
3 PMD5/RE5 12. D5 3 PMD5
4 PMD6/RE6 13. D6 4 PMD6
5 PMD7/RE7 14. D7 5 PMD7
15. A N/C To Vcc (5V) via 10K potentiometer
16. K --> Powerpoint GND
----------------------------------- ---------- ----------------------------------
PIC32MX Configuration Options
=============================
General Architecture Settings:
CONFIG_ARCH - Identifies the arch/ subdirectory. This should
be set to:
CONFIG_ARCH=mips
CONFIG_ARCH_family - For use in C code:
CONFIG_ARCH_MIPS=y
CONFIG_ARCH_architecture - For use in C code:
CONFIG_ARCH_MIPS32=y
CONFIG_ARCH_CHIP - Identifies the arch/*/chip subdirectory
CONFIG_ARCH_CHIP=pic32mx
CONFIG_ARCH_CHIP_name - For use in C code to identify the exact
chip:
CONFIG_ARCH_CHIP_PIC32MX460F512L=y
CONFIG_ARCH_BOARD - Identifies the configs subdirectory and
hence, the board that supports the particular chip or SoC.
CONFIG_ARCH_BOARD=pcblogic-pic32mx
CONFIG_ARCH_BOARD_name - For use in C code
CONFIG_ARCH_BOARD_PCBLOGICPIC32MX=y
CONFIG_ARCH_LOOPSPERMSEC - Must be calibrated for correct operation
of delay loops
CONFIG_ENDIAN_BIG - define if big endian (default is little
endian)
CONFIG_RAM_SIZE - Describes the installed DRAM (CPU SRAM in this case):
CONFIG_RAM_SIZE=(32*1024) (32Kb)
There is an additional 32Kb of SRAM in AHB SRAM banks 0 and 1.
CONFIG_RAM_START - The start address of installed DRAM
CONFIG_RAM_START=0xa0000000
CONFIG_ARCH_LEDS - Use LEDs to show state. Unique to boards that
have LEDs
CONFIG_ARCH_INTERRUPTSTACK - This architecture supports an interrupt
stack. If defined, this symbol is the size of the interrupt
stack in bytes. If not defined, the user task stacks will be
used during interrupt handling.
CONFIG_ARCH_STACKDUMP - Do stack dumps after assertions
CONFIG_ARCH_LEDS - Use LEDs to show state. Unique to board architecture.
CONFIG_ARCH_CALIBRATION - Enables some build in instrumentation that
cause a 100 second delay during boot-up. This 100 second delay
serves no purpose other than it allows you to calibratre
CONFIG_ARCH_LOOPSPERMSEC. You simply use a stop watch to measure
the 100 second delay then adjust CONFIG_ARCH_LOOPSPERMSEC until
the delay actually is 100 seconds.
PIC32MX Configuration
CONFIG_PIC32MX_MVEC - Select muli- vs. single-vectored interrupts
Individual subsystems can be enabled:
CONFIG_PIC32MX_WDT - Watchdog timer
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T2 - Timer 2 (Timer 1 is the system time and always enabled)
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T3 - Timer 3
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T4 - Timer 4
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T5 - Timer 5
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC1 - Input Capture 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC2 - Input Capture 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC3 - Input Capture 3
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC4 - Input Capture 4
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC5 - Input Capture 5
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC1 - Output Compare 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC2 - Output Compare 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC3 - Output Compare 3
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC4 - Output Compare 4
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC5 - Output Compare 5
CONFIG_PIC32MX_I2C1 - I2C 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_I2C2 - I2C 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_SPI1 - SPI 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_SPI2 - SPI 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_UART1 - UART 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_UART2 - UART 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_ADC - ADC 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_PMP - Parallel Master Port
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CM1 - Comparator 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CM2 - Comparator 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_RTCC - Real-Time Clock and Calendar
CONFIG_PIC32MX_DMA - DMA
CONFIG_PIC32MX_FLASH - FLASH
CONFIG_PIC32MX_USBDEV - USB device
CONFIG_PIC32MX_USBHOST - USB host
PIC32MX Configuration Settings
DEVCFG0:
CONFIG_PIC32MX_DEBUGGER - Background Debugger Enable. Default 3 (disabled). The
value 2 enables.
CONFIG_PIC32MX_ICESEL - In-Circuit Emulator/Debugger Communication Channel Select
Default 1 (PG2)
CONFIG_PIC32MX_PROGFLASHWP - Program FLASH write protect. Default 0xff (disabled)
CONFIG_PIC32MX_BOOTFLASHWP - Default 1 (disabled)
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CODEWP - Default 1 (disabled)
DEVCFG1: (All settings determined by selections in board.h)
DEVCFG2: (All settings determined by selections in board.h)
DEVCFG3:
CONFIG_PIC32MX_USBIDO - USB USBID Selection. Default 1 if USB enabled
(USBID pin is controlled by the USB module), but 0 (GPIO) otherwise.
CONFIG_PIC32MX_VBUSIO - USB VBUSON Selection (Default 1 if USB enabled
(VBUSON pin is controlled by the USB module, but 0 (GPIO) otherwise.
CONFIG_PIC32MX_WDENABLE - Enabled watchdog on power up. Default 0 (watchdog
can be enabled later by software).
The priority of interrupts may be specified. The value ranage of
priority is 4-31. The default (16) will be used if these any of these
are undefined.
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CTPRIO - Core Timer Interrupt
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CS0PRIO - Core Software Interrupt 0
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CS1PRIO - Core Software Interrupt 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_INT0PRIO - External Interrupt 0
CONFIG_PIC32MX_INT1PRIO - External Interrupt 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_INT2PRIO - External Interrupt 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_INT3PRIO - External Interrupt 3
CONFIG_PIC32MX_INT4PRIO - External Interrupt 4
CONFIG_PIC32MX_FSCMPRIO - Fail-Safe Clock Monitor
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T1PRIO - Timer 1 (System timer) priority
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T2PRIO - Timer 2 priority
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T3PRIO - Timer 3 priority
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T4PRIO - Timer 4 priority
CONFIG_PIC32MX_T5PRIO - Timer 5 priority
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC1PRIO - Input Capture 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC2PRIO - Input Capture 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC3PRIO - Input Capture 3
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC4PRIO - Input Capture 4
CONFIG_PIC32MX_IC5PRIO - Input Capture 5
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC1PRIO - Output Compare 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC2PRIO - Output Compare 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC3PRIO - Output Compare 3
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC4PRIO - Output Compare 4
CONFIG_PIC32MX_OC5PRIO - Output Compare 5
CONFIG_PIC32MX_I2C1PRIO - I2C 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_I2C2PRIO - I2C 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_SPI1PRIO - SPI 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_SPI2PRIO - SPI 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_UART1PRIO - UART 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_UART2PRIO - UART 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CN - Input Change Interrupt
CONFIG_PIC32MX_ADCPRIO - ADC1 Convert Done
CONFIG_PIC32MX_PMPPRIO - Parallel Master Port
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CM1PRIO - Comparator 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_CM2PRIO - Comparator 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_FSCMPRIO - Fail-Safe Clock Monitor
CONFIG_PIC32MX_RTCCPRIO - Real-Time Clock and Calendar
CONFIG_PIC32MX_DMA0PRIO - DMA Channel 0
CONFIG_PIC32MX_DMA1PRIO - DMA Channel 1
CONFIG_PIC32MX_DMA2PRIO - DMA Channel 2
CONFIG_PIC32MX_DMA3PRIO - DMA Channel 3
CONFIG_PIC32MX_FCEPRIO - Flash Control Event
CONFIG_PIC32MX_USBPRIO - USB
PIC32MXx specific device driver settings
CONFIG_UARTn_SERIAL_CONSOLE - selects the UARTn for the
console and ttys0 (default is the UART0).
CONFIG_UARTn_RXBUFSIZE - Characters are buffered as received.
This specific the size of the receive buffer
CONFIG_UARTn_TXBUFSIZE - Characters are buffered before
being sent. This specific the size of the transmit buffer
CONFIG_UARTn_BAUD - The configure BAUD of the UART. Must be
CONFIG_UARTn_BITS - The number of bits. Must be either 7 or 8.
CONFIG_UARTn_PARTIY - 0=no parity, 1=odd parity, 2=even parity
CONFIG_UARTn_2STOP - Two stop bits
PIC32MXx USB Device Configuration
PIC32MXx USB Host Configuration (the PIC32MX does not support USB Host)
Configurations
==============
Each PIC32MX configuration is maintained in a sub-directory and can be
selected as follow:
cd tools
./configure.sh pcblogic-pic32mx/<subdir>
cd -
. ./setenv.sh
Where <subdir> is one of the following sub-directories.
NOTE: These configurations use the mconf-based configuration tool. To
change any of these configurations using that tool, you should:
a. Build and install the kconfig-mconf tool. See nuttx/README.txt
and misc/tools/
b. Execute 'make menuconfig' in nuttx/ in order to start the
reconfiguration process.
Configuration sub-directories
-----------------------------
nsh:
This configuration directory holds configuration files tht can
be used to support the NuttShell (NSH).
NOTES:
1. The serial console is on UART1. Therefore, you will need an external
RS232 driver or TTL serial-to-USB converter. The UART1 TX and RX
pins are available on:
TX -- Pin 53: U1TX/RF8
RX -- Pin 52: U1RX/RF2
Power for the converter is available from the power point connector:
GND -- POWER POINT: GND
Vcc -- POWER POINT: Vdd (3.3V) -- Or P32_VBUS (+5V)
Or +5V from a USB PC port.
The serial console is configured for 115200 8N1 by default.
2. Support for NSH built-in applications is enabled.
3. By default, this configuration uses an older Microchip C32 toolchain
for Windows (the newer ones seem to be incompatible) and builds under
Cygwin (or probably MSYS). That can easily be reconfigured, of course.
Build Setup:
CONFIG_HOST_WINDOWS=y : Builds under Windows
CONFIG_WINDOWS_CYGWIN=y : Using Cygwin
System Type:
CONFIG_MIPS32_TOOLCHAIN_MICROCHIPW_LITE=y : Older C32 toolchain
4. To enable LCD1602 support:
Device Drivers:
CONFIG_LCD=y : Enable LCD menus
CONFIG_LCD_LCD1602=y : Select LCD1602
Library Routines:
CONFIG_LIB_SLCDCODEC=y : Enable the SLCD CODEC
System Type -> PIC32MX Peripheral Support:
CONFIG_PIC32MX_PMP=y : Enable PMP support
To enable apps/examples/slcd to test the LCD:
Application Configuration:
CONFIG_NSH_ARCHINIT=y : Needed to initialize the SLCD
CONFIG_EXAMPLES_SLCD=y : Enable apps/examples/slcd use /dev/lcd1602
CONFIG_EXAMPLES_SLCD_DEVNAME="/dev/lcd1602"
To enable LCD debug output:
Build Setup:
CONFIG_DEBUG=y : Enable debug features
CONFIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE=y : Enable LCD debug
NOTES:
a. I do not have the LCD1602 working. I may just be getting lost in the
tangle of wires or perhaps there is something fundamentally wrong with
the code. If you decide to work on this, you might want to consider
the working, big-bang version of this driver at configs/sure-pic32mx/src/pic32mx_lcd1602.c.
A bit-bang driver is probably more appropriate for such a low performance
device (and a LOT easier to debug).
b. At this point in time, testing of the SLCD is very limited because
there is not much in apps/examples/slcd. Basically driver with a working
test setup and ready to be tested and debugged.